Other Briefings
Vietnam’s Consumer Price Index Rises by 0.18%
Sept. 23 – According to Vietnam’s General Statistics Office, the consumer price index for September rose by only 0.18 percent.
It is the lowest monthly gain since the start of the year.
The CPI increases registered in seven out of ten essential commodity groups, with cultural, sports and entertainment services having the highest price hike of 1.45 percent, along with educational services with 1.4 percent.
Vietnam Reduces Fuel Prices By Up to 5.3%
Aug. 15 – Vietnam has reduced the price of gas by up to 5.3 percent beginning today. The new prices reflect the drop in world oil prices of more than 20 percent from July.
"The government has ordered us to reduce prices following world price declines," a Petrolimex official told Thanh Nien News.
The Ups and Downs of Vietnam’s Economy
June 11 – Things are changing so fast in Vietnam, it's hard to keep track. Last year with a GDP growth rate of 8.5 percent, the country was the place to be, money was pouring in, infrastructure was booming & the country was minting millionaires. Now however times seem to have changed drastically for Vietnam. The countrys' grappling with runaway inflation (25 percent), the highest interest rates in Asia (12 percent), a plunging currency (the dong fell 1.5 percent against the dollar in the last 6 months) and their stock markets nosedived 60 percent to become the worst performing in the world over the last month.
To make matters worse, Moody's, which grades creditworthiness, lowered Vietnam's ratings outlook last week to negative from positive. Poor ratings signal that banks may have trouble meeting their financial obligations, undermining investors' confidence in the country. In a nutshell, the economy overheated and the government was too slow to respond, says Jonathan Pincus, chief economist for the United Nations Development Program in Vietnam in a recent Time magazine article.
